Wednesday, May 13, 2015

A lot of times (ok…the majority of the time) I tend to shoot the same subject over and over. Not for lack of subjects, but because I enjoy the challenge of presenting it in a different way each time. The easiest way to do this is to change my point of view. POV in photography refers to the angle or place from which you shoot. Just as a story is told from the narrator's viewpoint, you as a photographer can bring your unique point of view to each photographic story. Challenging ourselves to stretch out into new directions can keep our interest peaked and our photos fresh.

Changing your point of view is simple and requires no new gear (unless you want to be adventurous and try shooting from a ladder). Altering your view point is an easy way to shake up your photography and give your creativity a boost. Try a bird's eye view from above or maybe a worm's eye view on the ground plane. Try shooting one subject from different angles and see what interesting stories you can tell.

So go ahead…kneel, sit, lay down, climb a ladder, turn your head upside down…shake things up and see what new stories you can tell!

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comments:

What a beautiful series! It would make a great collage of canvases. This is something that is fun and that I need to challenge myself to do more often. I'm prone to be lazy much of the time and if I get a good shot, move on. Or maybe I just have a short attention span. Either way, I need to remember this terrific reminder from you, Leigh. It's all part of savoring this moment, now.

Your flower shots (are they dahlias?) are gorgeous and perfectly illustrate shooting from different perspectives. Flowers are beautiful from any angle but getting down low or shooting from the side or down from above can give the same subject a whole different look. I think the difference between "taking" and "making" a photograph is walking around your subject and shooting it from as many different angles as you can and then choosing the one that represents what you are trying to say. Thanks for reminding us to keep this in mind when we're shooting. :-)

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